No other industrially manufactured object had such a lasting influence
on 20th-century life as the automobile, and not only in the technical,
social and economic sense, but also in terms of design.
Now, in this exhibition, in the context of the car design section,
Die Neue Sammlung is devoting itself to this theme together with that
company which wrote and defined the history of the automobile like
no other. It follows that we are not focusing on large-scale production,
but rather the search for perfection, which inevitably was only able
to manifest itself in unique products or very small series and set
the standard for many others.
With extremely rare examples, the radical nature of which is surprising,
the selection concentrates on aerodynamics, speed and the design process.
In 1909, when the Italian artist Marinetti glorified the automobile
as an aesthetic object in his Manifesto of Futurism, the Lighning Benz
was created, which was the first vehicle to break through the magic
200 km/h mark. At the time, the streamlined body had a utopian look.
The Lightning Benz was twice as fast as an airplane of that period.
The Autobahnkurier of 1938, with its streamlined body, was only ever
built twice. It became the epitome of the Modern Age on wheels and
a symbol of overcoming long distances at high speed and in great comfort.
1952 saw the launch of the Gullwing (Flügeltürer) as a “raw” racing
car. Two years later, this was transformed into the elegant 300 SL,
which enjoyed global success both at races and rallies and on fashionable
streets. The design with the swing doors derived from technical-constructive
necessity, not from pure formal imagination.
With the racing car W 196 R of 1954 – one of the legendary ‘Silver
Arrows’ – Mercedes-Benz dominated the international Grand
Prix scene for two years. The lightweight metal body has great sculptural
presence, even if the shape of this exterior shell is based on engineering
requirements.
The C 111-III of 1978 was designed as an arrow on wheels, successfully
trimmed to chase the records in every nuance, and that with a diesel
engine (in response to the oil crisis.) The Mercedes-Benz Bionic Car
of 2005, which was modeled on the tropical boxfish, gave form to current
ideas of an aerodynamic, safe, comfortable and environmentally-sound
car. Like the CLS of 2004, which is shown as a tape. It occupied the
unusual category (until then) of the four-door coupé.
Alongside the cars, the design work with drawings, tapes and models
comes into focus in the exhibition – vehicles as the result of
design processes. The example of the radiator grill highlights an historical
development in that element whose design considerably influences the “face” of
a car.
This exhibition offers a probably unique selection of vehicles which
are otherwise distributed around the world, largely in private collections,
and a focused insight into the design history of the 20th and early
21st centuries.
An exhibition by Die Neue Sammlung – State Museum of Applied
Art | Design in Pinakothek der Moderne. In cooperation with Daimler
AG.
Benz 200 hp record vehicle, 1909
Blitzen-Benz
The Blitzen-Benz (Lightning Benz) broke the magical record of 200 km/h
for the first time in 1909. In 1911, this vehicle set the world record
of 228.1 km/h. At show events in the USA, the Blitzen-Benz was marveled
at as the „eighth wonder of the world”.
Reconstruction with original parts
- Year of manufacture of the original: 1909
- Engine: 4 cylinder (inline), gasoline engine
- Displacement: 21,504 cm3
- Output; 200 hp (147 kW) at 1600 rpm
- Maximum speed: 228.1 km/h
- Quantity: 6
- Production period: 1909 to 1913
Mercedes-Benz 540 K, 1938
Autobahnkurier
The Autobahnkurier (Motorway Courier) epitomized modernity on wheels
and was a symbol for overcoming distances at high speed and in excellent
comfort. This vehicle was used by its first owner, a Spanish eye specialist,
to travel in North Africa and later for frequent trips between Spain
and Switzerland.
- Year of manufacture: 1938
- Engine: 8 cylinder (inline), gasoline engine with compressor charging
- Displacement: 5401 cm3
- Output: 115 hp (85 kW) at 3400 rpm, with compressor 180 hp (132 kW)
- Maximum speed: 170 km/h
- Quantity: 419 (all variants of 540 K)
- Production period 1936 to 1939 (all variants of 540 K)
Mercedes-Benz W 196 R, 1954
Stromlinie
With this Streamliner, Mercedes-Benz made its return in 1954 to Grand
Prix racing. On 4 July, Juan Manuel Fangio and Karl Kling achieved
a double victory at the first attempt at the French Grand Prix. The
2.5 liter racing car won Fangio and Mercedes-Benz the Formula 1 World
Drivers’ Championship Title in 1954 and 1955.
- Year of manufacture: 1955
- Engine: 8 cylinder (inline), gasoline engine with direct fuel injection
- Displacement: 2497 cm3
- Output: 290 hp (213 kW) at 8500 rpm
- Maximum speed: 305 km/h
- Production period: 1954 to 1955
Loan from the Technisches Museum Wien
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, 1954
Flügeltürer
The design of the 300 SL standard sports car – the Gullwing – can
be traced to the racing Coupé of 1952, which in the 1952 racing
season, won the Pan-American and 24-hour Le Mans race. The standard
300 SL version presented in 1954 in New York quickly became the dream
sports car of the 1950s.
- Year of manufacture: 1955
- Engine: 6 cylinder (inline), gasoline engine with direct fuel injection
- Displacement: 2996 cm3
- Output: 215 hp (158 kW) at 5800 rpm
- Maximum speed: 250 km/h
- Quantity: 1400
- Production period: 1954 to 1957
Mercedes-Benz Design Study C 111-III, 1977
The C 111-III of 1977 was a design study that served to transform aerodynamic
knowledge into a functional design.
The outstanding cd value of 0.178 was achieved thanks to the use in
certain areas of the vehicle of sharp-edged design elements running
parallel to the air flow lines. The design of the Mercedes-Benz 190
subsequently saw these significant elements make their way into series
production configuration.
The following year, 1978, a diesel record-setting car was developed
based on this design study. With its aerodynamic body and 5-cylinder
turbo-diesel engine, the C 111-III captured nine absolute world records
for Mercedes-Benz.
Its predecessor was the C 111, an experimental vehicle that had already
caused a sensation back in 1969 with its futuristic design and Wankel
engine.
Mercedes-Benz research vehicle, 2005
Bionic Car
The tropical boxfish was the template for this research vehicle, with
which in 2005 Mercedes-Benz addressed current concepts on an aerodynamically-efficient,
reliable, comfortable and environmentally-friendly automobile.
- Year of manufacture: 2005
- Engine: 4 cylinder (inline), turbo diesel with common-rail direct
injection
- Displacement: 1991 cm3
- Output: 140 hp (103 kW)
- Quantity: 1
The design process: The CLS milled model
The model consists of a metal support, a rigid foam core and a coating
of 2-component master paste. The data generated from the clay models
is used to mill a full-size model – revealing the shape for series
production development. At its market launch in 2004, the CLS was unique
among contemporary automobiles as it marked the return by Mercedes-Benz
to the hitherto unusual category of the four-door Coupé.
The design process: clay models
- These painted clay models in 1: 4 scale built in 1996 show different
design proposals for the SL of 2001
- The so-called clay model is constructed using a honeycomb panel and
PU rigid foam. The 10 mm coating of plasticine can be worked using
special modeling tools.
- The 1:4 scale modeling phase is the most important part of the creative
process, for it is here that the design studies submitted by the designers
are transformed into three-dimensional form. Around 8 different models
are designed and aerodynamically checked for each model series.
- The finished, painted clay model is marked at specific points, and
then optically scanned. The resulting measurement data forms the basis
for a data model, which is used to examine all the technical requirements
relating to the shape.
Air flow line model
This scaled-up model of a boxfish was analyzed in the wind tunnel.
As the air flows past the model, a special paint is sprayed onto it
that makes the air flow lines visible. In this way, the flow direction
can be represented directly on the surface itself.
Wind tunnel tests on this model yielded a Cd value of 0.06.
| Exhibition: |
June 25 - September 14, 2008 |
| Press preview: |
June 24, 2008, 11.00 |
| Vernissage: |
June 24, 2008,
19.00 |
| Organizer: |
An exhibition of Die Neue Sammlung – State
Museum of Applied Arts | Design in the Pinakothek der Moderne |
| Location : |
Pinakothek der Moderne, Barer Str.
40, München |
| Opening hours:: |
Thuesday – Sunday 10 – 18, Thursday
10 – 20
Info-Tel +49 (0)89 / 23 805-360, +49 (0)89 / 272725-0 |
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An exhibition of Die Neue Sammlung Munich. In collaboration with
Daimler AG.
| Weitere Informationen und Bildmaterial: |
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Dr. Corinna Rösner
Die Neue Sammlung
Tel +49 (0)89 / 27 27 25-0
Fax +49 (0)89 / 27 27 25-561
E-mail presse@die-neue-sammlung.de |
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Tine Nehler, M.A.
Leitung Kommunikation
Pinakothek der Moderne
Tel. +49(0)89 /23805-280
Fax +498(0) 89 /23805-125
E-Mail nehler@pinakothek.de
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